


What You Passed By On The Staircase

by imahira



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon - Book, Canonical Character Death, M/M, Mild Language, Minor Character Death, Post-Canon, Resurrection Stone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:56:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21521446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imahira/pseuds/imahira
Summary: In the summer of 1998, Draco Malfoy has unfinished business at the edges of the Forbidden Forest.
Relationships: Vincent Crabbe & Gregory Goyle & Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe/Gregory Goyle
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	What You Passed By On The Staircase

When he hears the footsteps coming up the stairs to his room, he thinks it's Vince and he sits up like he always does, getting ready to huck a packet of Jelly Slugs when he comes in. But the sound of them's too quick, and then he remembers it's not going to be Vince.

They'd got Apparition down finally, and made loads of plans, mostly popping in and out of each other's places. Vince had been saying how his mum's cat hates the sound, and laughing about how pissed it's going to be. Better than pulling its tail. And no more Flooing back and forth all the time in summer.

He hasn't done any Apparition all summer long. He'd probably splinch himself if he tried now. No Flooing, either. He's not sure if you can forget how to do that. Just walking up and down stairs, mostly.

Dad's been in Azkaban—will be forever, probably—and Mum's been switching between quiet and complaining about everything. She won't let him go out for fear someone'll remember he exists and lock him up too. He's a little scared of Azkaban, but it's hard to imagine it, really. All Dementors and everything like in third year, that's all he can picture. Dad'd be there, at least. But they probably don't let you visit much.

The door opens and it's Malfoy. Greg looks at him for a second, blank. Malfoy never comes here. They go there, and try not to breathe on any of the expensive stuff at Malfoy Manor. You're in deep shit if you break anything that family owns, never mind how good they all are at Fixing Charms. And it's all breakable. Vince started to hate that, after a while.

But Malfoy—who used to be Draco—he never comes here. Lucius Malfoy—he's been _Mr._ Malfoy ever since Greg can remember—he don't let his son set foot in just anybody's house, even if the family's got good blood. Not in Greg's house, and not in Vince's.

Vince was Vince forever. Vince's mum is sending him over so mind he doesn't track anything in from their place. Vince's eaten the last donut before you could get to it so your friendship's done until tomorrow. Mr. Vincent Crabbe and Mr. Gregory Goyle have failed the exams together and have to repeat the year together and all the teachers think they're so bloody smart. Vincent Crabbe is being laid to rest in the Plutonian Grounds today in the family plot. No one thinks he'll be missed much.

"Laid to rest". Funny way of putting it. It sounds Muggle and he doesn't like it. Vincent Crabbe was laid to rest. Not enough of him left to bury so the tomb was empty. He didn't sound all that rested when he was screaming in the fire.

"We're going to Hogwarts," says Malfoy. "Get your wand, if they haven't snapped it."

"Hogwarts? Us?" 

"Hogsmeade, actually. We'll have to walk to the Forbidden Forest."

"But what for?" He wonders if Malfoy's gone loony. But then he was always like this.

"Think, Goyle. The wand, that stupid cloak Potter's had forever. The stone. It must be somewhere."

"Stone," Greg repeats. "What stone?"

"The Resurrection Stone, you thick idiot. Potter united the three Deathly Hallows to win the War. Including the Resurrection Stone you must have heard about for only your entire childhood."

Greg sounds out _Resurrection_ in his head again. He still can't figure out the word, but he does remember stories about some kind of stone that was supposed to summon ghosts or something. That must be what it means.

"He's supposed to have been in the Forest. If he left it anywhere, it's there."

"Why would he leave something like that in the Forest?"

Malfoy sighs. "Just help me search."

Greg thinks Potter must have been all around and inside Hogwarts, and he doesn't see how Malfoy can tell he left anything behind, let alone picking the Forest to do it, but if it means getting out of the house, he's game.

"Think they'll let us near the castle?"

Malfoy gives him a look, but he's really asking.

It's a week before they find it. Looking's only a little better than staying at home, but it's not staying at home, so he doesn't complain. They go by nights, Malfoy doing the Apparating for him. It's dark, but even he can manage Lumos. They don't tell anyone they're going there. They don't talk much.

Malfoy finds it, of course. It was never Greg who was the first to find anything, and hardly ever Vince. He shouts, and calls, "Goyle! Get over here!" He's already doing something with it in his hand when Greg gets there.

He thinks Vince is really there for a second. It nearly sends him out of his own skin. Then he remembers the ghost summoning thing. What happened in May.

"You died," says Greg.

"Reckon I did," says Vince. He looks a bit embarrassed.

Greg searches for anything else to say. He'd barely thought about what they were looking for, the whole time he was doing it. But now he wishes he'd come up with a speech or something. Not like anyone made much of one at the funeral to give him any ideas. _Bye, Vincent Crabbe. You thought they were actually going to let you graduate, but it never happened. Your side lost, so now we've all got to pretend like we never knew you. So long._

"Does it hurt?" All he can think of. Even he knows it's stupid, he heard the screams himself.

"A lot," Vince says. "For me, anyway. Not so much now, though,"

"My father," Malfoy says, "is not a loser." He seems to be having trouble speaking.

Vince shrugs. "Who knows." He looks smaller in death, all the fight gone out of him. All of whatever was stewing in him that last year.

"He's been pardoned. Fully."

"Guess the loser winds up being me, eh?" 

Malfoy looks lost for words. And angry about it, but angry don't make your words come out any easier.

"All that stuff," Vince says. "You don't think about it so much over here."

Greg tries to pretend he's Malfoy, getting ready for one of his big rants. _Thanks for cocking up so bad you went and died, Vince. Malfoy don't need us anymore, and neither do Slytherin, and neither do Pure-bloods in general, looks like. So it's just me now, waiting around to hear something on the stairs. And you don't even think about it._

He's no good at speeches though, nor at being sarcastic. So he looks down and waits for Malfoy to finish with whatever he's got bottled up. It's familiar, at least.

"We won," Malfoy says. "Think about _that_ over there. My father's alive and my mother's alive, and all you ever did was get yourself killed."

"Guess so." Vince doesn't seem like much of anything can bother him anymore. 

"Must be nice," Malfoy spits. "You're too thick now to even get told off. The afterlife must make people great fun at parties."

"Greg," says Vince, and Greg looks up. "Sorry. I didn't mean to."

He does have a lot to say, suddenly, but he can't say any of it in front of Malfoy. So he doesn't say anything, just looks at Vince, and he thinks Vince gets it, like he always did.

Vince lifts a fist, and Greg watches his own fist rise to meet it and pass through.

"See you round."

"You won't, says Malfoy acidly. "I'm not planning to die any time soon."

It's not what Vince meant, of course. Greg doesn't know why Malfoy always has to do that with your words. It's a rotten way to have a conversation.

But Vince just looks at Malfoy like he's expecting something, and Malfoy shifts the stone to his other hand and Vince is gone.

"This stupid thing," Malfoy says, and hurls the stone.

"Thanks," says Greg. Malfoy just stalks off, a dark look on his face, and Greg doesn't think they'll see each other again after tonight.

He wishes, after a few seconds have passed, that he'd watched to see where the stone flew, but he knows he'll never find it again on his own. Still, he stands for a minute looking into the Forbidden Forest, as if it's going to come walking back to him, until Draco yells for him to get a move on, for Merlin's sake, before the sun comes up.


End file.
